Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors Apply for a New License - Requirements

A master's or doctoral degree in counseling or a counseling-related field from an accredited college or university.

A planned graduate program in counseling or a counseling-related field of at least 48 graduate semester hours.

A graduate degree and graduate coursework that was awarded or earned more than 10 years prior to the application date may not be used to fulfill the requirements for licensure unless the applicant has held a license issued by another state or has been counseling in Texas in an exempt setting for at least five years prior to the application date.

Applicants must obtain academic course work in each of the following areas: normal human growth and development; abnormal human behavior; appraisal or assessment techniques; counseling theories; counseling methods or techniques (individual and group); research; lifestyle and career development; social, cultural and family issues; and professional orientation

As part of the graduate program, a supervised practicum experience that is primarily counseling in nature. The practicum should be at least 300 clock-hours with at least 100 clock-hours of direct client contact. Academic credit for the practicum must appear on the applicant's transcript.

After completion of the graduate degree and before application, an applicant must take and pass the National Counselor Exam and the Texas Jurisprudence Exam. After receiving a temporary LPC license from the board, the applicant may begin the supervised post-graduate counseling experience (internship). 3000 clock-hours with at least 1,500 being direct client contact of internship under the supervision of a board-approved supervisor is required. The 3000 clock-hours may not be completed in a time period of less than 18 month.

If reapplying for a temporary license, the applicant must submit any supervised experience gained during their previous temporary license and retake the NCE before applying.